Opponents of Housing Authority land-lease plan drop suit

Plaintiffs back down following de Blasio pledge to abandon construction bids

From left: Queensbridge Houses and Mayor Bill de Blasio
From left: Queensbridge Houses and Mayor Bill de Blasio

Opponents of a Bloomberg-era plan to lease New York City Housing Authority land to developers are dropping their lawsuit against the plan.

The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court in November, aimed to block NYCHA from accepting bids to construct luxury high-rises on public parks, playgrounds, gardens and other open spaces on NYCHA property, according to a news release from the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center. But now that Mayor de Blasio has pledged to abandon the land lease plan and begin a more “thoughtful process,” the plaintiffs have agreed to withdraw their legal complaint.

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Another lawsuit brought by City Council and a group of tenants, aiming to stall intended land lease plans until after the end of Mayor Bloomberg’s term, was dismissed by a Manhattan state judge in December. — Julie Strickland